Inquietude
by csiphile
Summary: Chapter 3 Up! Post-Jacksonville - The war is coming as Peter and Olivia start to realize thier relationship may be the key to everything.
1. Chapter 1

**Inquietude**

**csiphile**

**Rating: T**

**Summary: Post Jacksonville, there is drinks, the past, and the revelation. Here is my take.**

**Disclaimer: Not mine. Though I wouldn't mind borrowing Peter for a little while.**

**AN: Well, its my first Fringe Fic, so reviews are MOST appreciated. There are song lyrics at the end of this chapter that I think are very Fringe. Enjoy, and download. Many thanks to geekischic for the wonderful beta work, it is most appreciated!**

**Chapter One: Drinks**

This cannot be happening.

The thought kept running through her head as Peter bounded up the stairs. She was so focused on her friend that when Walter sidled up next to her, she barely realized it. Until he spoke, and then it got so much worse. He wanted her to lie. To Peter.

"Walter…"

"Olivia, please." His voice was so pleading, so desperate and Peter was coming back down the stairs, she had to make a quick decision.

"Fine," she hissed as Peter hit the turn on the stairs. "Later."

The older man nodded solemnly and their short conversation was over as Peter stood next to Olivia.

He tilted his head- he could sense the tension in the air that had not been there when he left. "What's going on?"

"Nothing," Olivia said quickly and gave him a genuine smile.

"Ready, then?"

"You bet." And she meant it, this night was for her and Peter, no one else.

It helped that he wasn't glimmering anymore. The bright golden glow had been replaced by a soft haze, and even that was fading. It didn't take long for her to realize why. She was no longer scared. When Peter had first opened the door there had been a faint feeling of fear in her. Fear of what this could lead to, of what she wanted it to lead to. Drinks with a colleague was one thing, drinks with a colleague with whom she had nearly shared a kiss with mere hours ago was something else entirely. Fear for what had become of her relationship with John Scott, which had her questioning everything she knew about him. Well, in this case she knew more about Peter than he did, and for a moment she wished she didn't.

With knowledge comes great responsibility.

Now she was angry. Angry at Walter for doing this to Peter. Angry at the universe – both of them. Angry at herself for allowing Peter to get this far under her skin; far enough that the thoughtof him leaving when he found out the truth made her nauseous.

And suddenly there was the thought that maybe Walter had started this whole mess. The war of the worlds had been started by a mad scientist who crossed universes to replace a dead son.

Suddenly a warm, and very real, hand was on her back, pulling her from her thoughts and guiding her out the door.

"Free at last," Peter joked as they headed down the walkway to the sidewalk.

"It has to be better than the hotel…"

He nodded. "Oh yes."

"Good," she said and smiled at him, admiring his features not for the first time. Peter was attractive, all muscles and broad shoulders and strong arms she hoped one day would hold her tight. Then there were those eyes, the deep pools of blue-green that she could get lost in so easily.

The remainder of the walk took place in companionable silence.

The restaurant was a small and cozy upscale Irish Pub, and Peter ushered her to a private booth in the back. Before long they had beers in front of them and both were drinking slowly, not wanting to blur the evening in alcohol.

Despite her best efforts, she could not concentrate fully on the man in front of her. Her mind wouldn't stop whirring with questions that only the older Bishop could answer.

"You're quiet," Peter finally said.

"Sorry, just thinking." Not entirelya lie.

He smiled. "Well, what are you thinking about?"

A sigh escaped her lips. She wanted to forget about it for one night¸ but the questions got the better of her. "How different do you think it is? Over there."

Peter took a drink, clearly thinking. "The way Walter talks, not all that different. All the people are basically the same, but there are subtle differences. Like maybe over there the Cubs are perennial winners, and the curse of the bambino continues. Or the Lions have won a Superbowl." He swished the liquid around in his bottle. "Or maybe over there prohibition continues. Now that's terrifying."

"Frightening." She agreed and smiled.

"So, Olivia Dunham, tell me something I don't know about you." At her confused expression he began ticking things off his fingers as he spoke. "I know you have a sister and a niece, I know your stepdad is an asshole, I know you were military, that you joined the FBI after being discharged, I know how you came to Fringe division and that you were an unfortunate victim of my father's experiments, which, I really should apologize for more often. I know your heart guides you more than it should sometimes, which serves you well. I know you're passionate¸ caring, beautiful and smart. I know you have a compulsion to save the world and a capacity to accept things that most people would run screaming from. And based on the manner with which you dragged me into this circus, I know you are as good a con artist as I am. So what don't I know?" At the end he gave her a grin and took a long drink of his beer, awaiting her answer.

His words took her breath away and in that moment Olivia knew her feelings for him were travelling much farther into dangerous territory than she thought.

"I think that about covers it actually."

He shook his head and took another long drink. "No, no way. There has to be some deep dark secret you've never told anyone."

_Oh Peter, if you only knew, _she thought as she leaned conspiratorially across the table. "I hated Boston when we moved here."

He gave her a mock expression of horror. "NO! The tragedy."

A light laugh came from her as she smiled. "I tried to talk my parents into leaving at least every week for the first year."

"We'll I'm glad they didn't take your suggestion," he said with that patented Peter smirk.

And suddenly even in the sparsely populated bar, there were far too many people for her taste.

"Peter, let's get out of here. Go for a walk."

He nodded in agreement and pulled some cash from his wallet, leaving enough to cover the beers and a generous tip. Quickly they pulled jackets back on and stepped outside the bar, she had noticed a park not much farther down the block and started in that direction, Peter close behind.

It didn't take long for them to find a bench and sit, the sky was clear, the stars twinkling like they always had. It was a small comfort to Olivia, that there were still constants in this world.

And until an hour ago, one of them was Peter.

Until then she had unwavering faith that he would be by her side no matter what happened.

_Einai kalytero... Anthropo apo toy... Patera toy. Tell that to Peter. You're going to need him by your side._

William Bell had sent her back with that message for Peter, and instruction that she would need him. Bell and Walter had been working closely together at the time he was brought here. There was no way Walter could travel over there, snatch Peter and Bell be none the wiser.

Was Peter needed _here_ more? She certainly knew _she_ needed him.

"Ok," his voice said from the darkness. "You are doing entirely too much thinking."

She smiled at him. "Sorry. I know I've been lost in thought tonight."

"It's ok. I find myself thinking too much also." He blew out a breath and looked up at the sky. "Sometimes I wonder what side I'm on…"

She snapped her head toward him. "What?"

He looked at her with that cocky grin. "Well, with Walter sometimes it's hard to tell if we're the good or bad guys."

"Yeah," she said quietly. _You have no idea, _her mind added.

"Peter?" she started tentatively and he looked at her. "Thank you."

That earned her a truly confused expression. "For what?" he asked and slipped one of his hands over hers, which were clasped in her lap.

"Being here."

He leaned in slowly, resting his forehead on hers, their breath mingling. "Where else would I be?"

She nudged their heads up so she could look into his eyes. This man in front of her was her Peter, the only one she had ever known, regardless of where he came from. And so she laid claim to him the only way she knew how. Closing the inches they had left between them Olivia finished what he had started earlier.

Their lips met and the world seemed to stop, the normal background noise of the city faded, lights dimmed and the only thing they were aware of was each other. Her fingers made their way to his thick hair, his had found their way to her back and were pulling her closer to him. Both felt an intense connection to the other, as if they had been waiting for each other their whole lives. The kiss continued a few more seconds, until Peter pulled away, gasping for air.

"I've never…" he started but was cut off.

"Me either." She responded.

Peter placed his hand on her cheek again, stroking it slowly as he had done in New York what seemed like an eternity ago now. Only this time he wound his hand back through her hair and pulled her toward him. She was a drug to him now, one he couldn't get enough of.

The second time their lips met Olivia's entire body felt warm from desire. She would do anything in that second to be in her apartment, where clothes could be shed and she could feel his hands on her bare skin. Suddenly she was desperate for him, needing him. A feeling she had never had with anyone, not even John Scott

And suddenly she was scared again. Terrified.

So she pulled away. And the glimmer was brighter than ever, distractingly so.

"Olivia," he said, his voice heady, wanting. His hands trying to pull her back.

"Peter."

But he didn't even acknowledge she'd spoken, instead his hands continued their desperate attempts to bring her closer to him.

So she tried, again, her words stronger, her hands grabbing his, stopping them. "Peter. Stop."

Her tone cut through the fog that had seemed to overtake him, and he looked at her, eyes clear. "Wow. Did you…"

She nodded. "Yeah…"

He tilted his head at her, those eyes boring into her soul. And for one second she wondered if he could read her mind. With all the crap Walter had done to them she would not have been surprised.

"You ok?" he asked in that gentle Peter way and her heart broke for them both.

"Yeah, Peter I just…I need time."

A smile graced his face. "Of course, I understand. After John…"

God, she wanted to cry, this had nothing to do with her former lover and partner but to spare more questions she nodded.

"Yeah…"

He stood and held out one hand to her. "Shall we?"

Now she gave him a genuine smile and took the offered hand, standing. They walked holding hands back to Peter's place where he escorted her to the car. She opened the door of the SUV and turned back to him so she was trapped between Peter and the car.

"I did have a good time, Peter, thank you."

"You are very welcome, Agent Dunham."

Peter knew something was off, and he hadn't believed for a second it had to do with John Scott, but he had given her an out in the hope she would at some point share her hesitation with him. Somewhere deep within him, he knew what she did- they each were incomplete without the other.

He dipped his head down and stole a quick kiss from her. "Goodnight Olivia."

Before he could pull completely away she touched his cheek gently with her fingers. "I'll see you in the morning."

"You bet."

With that they parted, Peter watching until Olivia was out of view before heading back up the walk and entering his house.

Things were looking up.

_Just paint the picture of a perfect place  
They got it better than what anyone's told you  
They'll be the King of Hearts, and you're the Queen of Spades  
Then we'll fight for you like we were your soldiers_

_One Republic, All the Right Moves_

**Reviews are still appreciated. Next chapter: the past**

I know we've got it good  
But they got it made  
And the grass is getting greener each day  
I know things are looking up  
But soon they'll take us down,  
before anybody's knowing our name.

They got all the right friends in all the right places  
So yeah, we're going down  
We've got all the right moves and all the wrong faces  
So yeah, we're going down  
They said, everybody knows, everybody knows where we're going  
Yeah, we're going down  
They said, everybody knows, everybody knows where we're going  
Yeah, we're going down

Do you think I'm special?  
Do you think I'm nice?  
Am I bright enough to shine in your spaces?  
Between the noise you hear  
And the sound you like  
Are we just sinking in an ocean of faces?

It can be possible that rain can fall,  
Only when it's over our heads  
The sun is shining everyday, but it's far away  
Over the world is death.


	2. Chapter 2

AN: THANK YOU to all that reviewed and/or set story alerts, it really puts a smile on my face to know that people are reading and enjoying the stories I come up with. Not sure what happened in the last chapter with the song at the end, my notes went all crazy. And I meant to mention that is for language, nothing more. Yes, I borrowed a concept of sorts from Lost, but I think it works equally in the Fringe world.

Anywho, I had every intention for this story to be a mere three chapters, but now I feel that there needs to be a fourth - at least.

This chapter has no Peter so to speak, its Walters explanation to Olivia. My version.

**Chapter 2: The Past Is the Past**

She had made it home fairly early and had showered and changed into a t-shirt and sweats before 11 pm, which for her was just short of a miracle. Just as she got a cup of hot chocolate – she needed something warm but didn't want caffeine keeping her up all night- her doorbell rang. The agent barely had time to contemplate what had happened left between her and Walter, the time with Peter overshadowing everything else.

Smiling she walked over, only one person would be at her door at this hour, even if she had just seen him an hour before.

"Pete…" she started as she swung open the door but stopped when she realized the wrong Bishop was standing in front of her. She looked around the older man confused.

"I took a cab. Peter is sleeping."She eyed him suspiciously. "Of his own accord."

Olivia stared at him another moment, unsure if she should let him into her home. He looked…tired, worn down. She stepped aside and let him in, he nodded a silent thanks.

The FBI agent moved into her house, standing in the living room and he followed, clearly uncomfortable and unclear where to start, so she spoke first.

"What did you do Walter?"

The older man's face fell, he knew eventually it would come back. There was no way his secret would stay hidden forever.

"When Peter was seven years old he got sick. Very sick."

"I know that Walter." Her voice was terse.

"He died."

The words were so stark, so without emotion it startled her. Olivia had assumed that to be the case, for what other reason would Walter have travelled over there and taken their Peter. Regardless, it was still a shock to hear her suspicions confirmed.

Walter took a step toward her. "I was…devastated. My only son was gone. I had wasted the time I had been given with him, spending all of it on the experiments with Bell. The boy who died…" Walter's voice cracked with emotion. "I barely knew him."

"Walter…"

He continued without acknowledging her. "I couldn't function, my work at the lab with Bell was…stopped." He held up a small, empty frame. "I created a window to the other universe. We could see them, but not cross over. And what I saw…" Now his voice got stern, hard. "I was the same man over there that I was here. Ignoring my family, my son, for my experiments with Bell. But over there, Peter wasn't sick; he was healthy, desperate for that Walter's attention, which he never got. That Walter…he didn't deserve Peter, he didn't know what he had."

He stopped a moment and sat down on the couch. Olivia moved toward him, sitting on her coffee table across from him. She could feel the sadness and grief radiating off of him as if it had all happened yesterday instead of twenty five years ago. For one moment she understood what would possess a man to do what Walter had done.

When he started speaking again, his voice had softened.

"It took three months of constant work, but we did it. We opened a door to cross over there."

She knew the rules. "How did you get Peter over?"

Now the older man looked ashamed. "I assumed that the other Walter would have done what I had, and involved Peter in the experiments with Cortexiphan. He, like you, has the ability to cross over."

"You tested on your own son?" Despite her words, Olivia was not that surprised. Peter was her age, and being Walter's son, it would have been easy to work on Peter's abilities. Suddenly she noticed silent tears streaming down his face. "Walter?"

"It killed him."

For a moment she was confused until the weight of the words hit her.

"No…" she said slowly.

"I killed him. The Cortexiphan…the dosage was too high, it poisoned him…" Now Walter crumbled into sobs. "It was my fault…all my fault. I couldn't live with myself and Rebecca, she was furious. So I promised her I would make it better. And I did. She loved Peter with every fiber of her being until she died."

"How does he not remember?"

"The observer."

_He drove as fast as he dared in the Boston winter snowstorm. The portal was a good 15 miles behind them now so he eased off the gas further and glanced back at the boy in the backseat; Walter had sedated him lightly so he wouldn't remember the trip. For a brief moment he felt guilt for what he had just done, but knew that it was the right thing for them both. Walter was determined to be a better father than he had been before. Peter deserved it._

_Turning back to the road he was startled to see a bald man just…standing, in the middle of the road._

_He swerved quickly to avoid a collision, and lost control of the car, sending them on an inescapable path into the freezing river that ran parallel to the road. Walter did everything he could to stop the car, but it was futile, the ice had rendered all of his actions mute._

_It seemed like minutes before they hit the icy water, but in reality was closer to seconds. And in that time Walter had time to consider that this was his penance for what he had done. The universe was punishing him yet again._

_As the water filled the car Walter unbuckled himself and scrambled to the backseat, doing the same to Peter. With significant effort he was able to get the back door open, but the frigid water was starting to take its toll, he could feel his extremities starting to go numb and everything seemed foggy._

_With one last effort, he pushed Peter from the sinking car into the river and was amazed when the boy went up instead of sinking down. _

_His last conscious thought was maybe Peter would survive._

_When he woke up he was lying on the cold riverbank, looking up at the clear sky, the snow had stopped. He looked around and saw Peter lying next to him, the bald man from the road hovering over him curiously._

"_Leave him alone…" Walter managed to get out._

"_Bishop." Was all the strange man said._

"_Yes," he responded, now more curious than anything._

_The man looked down at Peter again. "He is well, Peter."_

"_How do you know his name?"_

"_He is…important." Now the man looked at the older Bishop and Walter got the sense he was not from here. "He is critical to your survival."_

"_Survival?"_

"_You will understand in time." The strange man approached Walter, who was now sitting up, completely unaware of the cold anymore. "He will be permitted to stay here. But the favor will be returned."_

_Walter nodded._

"_Your son will not remember this."_

"_How…"_

"_I have taken care of it." Suddenly he looked up at the road. "A car will be coming shortly. I will be back Walter."_

_Again the older man nodded and watched as the stranger who had saved their lives walked away, disappearing into the dark_

"It was shortly after that that the car he promised came and took us home."

"What did he mean by survival? In the war?"

"I would assume so, yes."

"How would Peter…" and then she realized.

_She couldn't get the bomb Jones created diffused until he returned._

_He had calmed her when she was looking for Nick._

_The Cortexiphan didn't work in New York until he had stirred those deeply buried feelings._

_When she woke from her coma after the car accident, he was there. And not only was he there, she was spouting words that were private between him and his mother._

_When he was infected, despite the fact that virus had control of him, Peter couldn't pull the trigger. He couldn't kill her, if anything he had warned her._

_And the fact that every time that he touched her, her entire body practically hummed. Even when she was desperate to save John Scott, when he had touched her she felt an undeniable attraction._

"It's me."

Walter nodded. "He is your…constant. That which keeps you grounded…in control. But he also…enhances your abilities, makes it easier for you to access them. You have a connection, Olivia. While Peter shows no abilities of his own, he seems to…activate yours." Walter looked contemplative for a moment. "Perhaps that is his ability."

Olivia wasn't sure what to say, wasn't sure what the man expected of her. "You have to tell him." She finally managed to get out.

Walter shook his head. "No, no, no. He wouldn't understand why I did it. I just got Peter back…I can't lose him again."

"This isn't a choice Walter! He has the right to know."

"And what if he runs?"

She sighed. It was her greatest fear also, that Peter would find the truth out and run like he had so many times before. "He won't." She hoped.

"Olivia, it is very important that Peter stay with us. With you."

She stood and paced the room, her mind whirring. She had the same fear as Walter, that Peter would bolt as soon as he found out, and the man they had both become so fond of would be gone. Olivia wasn't sure she could handle him leaving, she had already lost too many people in this war, and it hadn't even really yet.

"He's a different man now; he…has a home and people who care about him." She was saying it as much to convince herself as Walter. Though Peter's pervasive nomad ways now made some sense, a part of him knew he didn't belong here.

The older man stayed silent, but stared at her.

"I know Walter." Her fingers ran through her hair. "I need time to think. This stays between us for now, but Peter has to find out at some point. We can't keep this from him forever."

"Thank you."

She nodded. "You better get home before Peter notices you're gone."

Suddenly the old man looked proud of himself. "Oh! I left a note so he wouldn't worry."

At that she laughed lightly. "Of course. I'll call you a cab."

Within fifteen minutes the cab had arrived and Olivia gave the driver the address and enough money to get Walter home.

"I'll see you tomorrow," she said to the man in the backseat.

After walking back into her townhouse and closing the door, Olivia curled up on the couch, covered with a blanket, and cried. Olivia remembered how devastated she had felt during the brief period she thought John Scott was a traitor to her and his country. How betrayed. And yet, here she was in the same position, only this time she was the one doing the betrayal. At the bare minimum Peter was her friend, with the potential for so much more, and she was holding knowledge that could radically alter his life.

Olivia didn't know how long she could do this.

* * *

Please, press the pretty blue button and leave a review, even if its short. Also, Chapter three should be up by Tuesday next week, I want to get these three out before _Peter_ airs.


	3. Chapter 3

**Well, here is Chapter three, as promised. Now, originally this was going to be the last chapter, but my beta brought up it felt like a beginning and not an end, so there will be more. But the next couple chapters won't be for a bit since I JUST started them. And at the end are lyrics to a song I think fits Peter perfectly. I'm all about the songs that match the chapter. It's a problem, I know.**

**Again, thank you for the reviews and story alerts. Warms my heart. Please, continue.**

**Chapter 3 – The Truth**

Five months had passed. Five long, painful months since Olivia had learned the truth. It was a double edged sword, in that time she and Peter had started spending more time together, but at the same time each day made her heart heavy with guilt. She almost never saw the glimmering now, only in those moments when she was alone with Peter and she allowed the fear to take over. Thankfully in those five months she had learned how to control the fear, and with it, the glimmer.

She stared out the office windows at the two men who had become such a large part of her life. The younger one was gesturing wildly with his hands while the older looked perplexed. Finally Peter put his hands down and shook his head, good naturedly.

When she noticed him moving toward the office, she ducked her head back down to the paperwork before her and pretended not to notice.

As the door opened his voice filtered through the room. "I give up," he declared.

She looked at him with a questioning glance.

"Don't ask," he said and sank into the chair across her desk.

"Ok," she smiled. "I won't."

He sat forward in the chair and reached a hand out, his fingers gently twining with hers. She stared at their hands, her small one wrapped protectively in his.

This was how their physical contact had continued after the night in the park, subtle, silent and comforting. A stolen glance, a hand on her back, standing in each other's personal space a little longer then necessary. And the times when they were alone, a small touch or a gentle kiss. Neither was willing to take it any farther, he because he felt it was still too soon after John, she because the betrayal would be that much worse.

In the meantime the frequency of Pattern related occurrences were increasing with frightening speed. They had had three this week alone. It was all pointing to the fact that the war they feared was coming soon. And Olivia felt hopelessly unprepared- she still didn't know her purpose in this; she was still terrified that Peter would leave. And the idea that she would have to face this mess alone, without him to keep her sane, had kept her quiet for far longer than she had wanted.

"Hey," he finally said, and she realized he had been talking while she was lost in thought.

"I'm sorry Peter," she smiled at him. "What did you say?"

"It's Friday, we've had a rough week and the Sox play the Tigers in…" he paused and looked at his watch. "Three hours."

"You want to go to a baseball game?"

"Yep. Come on. Green grass, the crack of the bat, hot dogs and beer. What else do you need?"

She eyed him suspiciously. "You have tickets?"

He released her hand and shrugged. "I know a guy."

She pursed her lips at him. "I am not surprised."

"Was that a yes?"

A baseball game actually sounded really nice, a couple hours away from…everything.

"Yeah, sure."

At 6:30 he was standing at her door, knocking. When she answered he was surprised to see her dressed in a Red Sox t-shirt and hat, her hair pulled through the space in the back.

"Nice," he said, indicating her clothes.

"Hey, I think being a Sox fan is a requirement in this town. Astrid watching Walter?"

A light laugh came from him. "Yeah, that woman deserves a raise. Ready?"

"Yes, she does. And yeah, I'm ready."

Before long they were seated behind home plate, beers in hand, the warm sun beating down on them. Olivia turned her face toward the rays and closed her eyes, for this brief moment the Fringe Division, the Pattern and everything associated with it didn't exist. They could be just two normal people enjoying each others' company at an evening baseball game.

"You ok?" he asked, his mouth close to her ear. She could feel his breath on her exposed neck.

"Never better." And she meant it.

The first inning passed in comfortable silence. While they waited for the teams to start the second he leaned into her again.

"When I was a kid, after the accident, Walter made it a point to take me to a couple baseball games a year. Those were some of my best memories." He pointed out to the pitcher's mound. "This will be a pitcher's duel. Verlander versus Beckett. Epic."

"Epic?"

He nodded and swallowed a mouthful of beer. "Epic."

"Mmmmm…" She followed the Sox to a degree, but really knew very little about the players.

The remainder of the game passed with Peter explaining the physics of the game to her. Air pressure and rotation on the ball, the difference between a fast ball, a slider and a change up.

He was deep into explaining how the speed of the bat was equally as important as the speed of the ball when she realized how badly she underestimated him. It was easy to forget that Peter's IQ was dwarfed only by his father's-he frequently hid it behind sarcasm or deflected his intelligence, using it only when necessary. This was the first time she'd noticed him explain the inner workings of something outside the Fringe Division. She was really enjoying it. It wasn't that she was terribly interested in the physics behind a home run, but the passion with which he spoke about it drew her in. The glint in his eye, the excitement in his voice...

Suddenly she knew.

She was falling for him.

Glancing at him, the golden glow that had been unseen for months was back. Only this time it was blinding, and she very nearly recoiled.

Peter took that moment to turn and look at her and an expression of concern covered his face. "You ok? You look like you've seen a ghost."

Quickly she recovered and waved a hand dismissively at him. "Fine. Sorry."

He leaned into her and a broad smile crossed his face as his hand reached up and brushed his fingers along the skin of her exposed neck. She visibly shuddered. "Having fun?" he asked.

"Yes."

"Good," he practically whispered and captured her lips for a brief, but promising, kiss.

As they parted and he turned his attention back to the game, the guilt that she had been able to keep in the back of her mind came roaring forward.

She couldn't do this anymore. She couldn't keep lying to him while feeling like this. Olivia was falling for him- it had happened slowly, with each day, each case, bringing them closer.

"Peter…" she whispered in a quiet voice, but his name was drowned out by the collective "awwww" of the crowd as Boston lost the game in what had, as Peter predicted, turned out to be a pitcher's duel.

"Well," he said, oblivious to her attempt. "We'll have to try again."

She nodded. "I'd like that."

Olivia hoped they would have the opportunity.

* * *

It had taken Walter nearly thirty minutes to convince Astrid that it was ok for the young agent to leave. Peter was due home soon enough and he was looking forward to showing his son that he could be left alone for short periods. Walter didn't want to become a burden to Peter and force him to find someone to watch him while he spent time with Agent Dunham.

When there was a knock on the door shortly after Astrid left, Walter assumed she had forgotten something and opened the door without checking who was on the other side.

He was surprised to find a familiar, if unwanted, person standing there instead.

The observer.

Walter's face fell. The man's arrival coinciding with the increase in Pattern activity could mean only one thing.

The war was closer than they expected.

"You know why I am here." The man said without making an attempt to enter the house.

"It's coming."

The man nodded. "He must choose."

"Peter…"

"He must choose a side."

Walter shook his head. "He doesn't know."

"It is time he does."

"I…" Walter started but was cut off.

"He must choose of his own free will. It is important." It was non-negotiable.

"I understand."

The bald man nodded and turned away, disappearing into the dark.

Walter knew this day would come eventually, but after getting Peter back, he was terrified of losing him once again.

* * *

The next morning Olivia arrived at the lab, surprised to see Walter there alone, working quietly at one of his myriad of machines. She dropped her coat in the office she had appropriated and strode over to the scientist, glancing around, looking for Astrid and Peter. She was done with the lying, the deceit- Peter had a right to know. Continuing their relationship with this hanging over her head was something Olivia was unwilling to do. Lies and betrayal had cost her one relationship. It wasn't going to happen again.

"Walter," she said as she approached and the older man turned to her, his normal smile replaced with worry.

"Agent Dunham," he said quietly.

"Where are Peter and Astrid?"

"Astrid said she had to go to the FBI building this morning and I sent Peter out for eggs Benedict. I've been craving them for some time."

"Lovely." She took a quick look around. "I'm done Walter. You need to talk to Peter."

He nodded sadly. "Yes, I do."

The woman had expected a little more argument from the scientist. They both knew what they were risking.

"I had a visitor last night," Walter continued. "The observer. The war is coming soon Olivia, sooner than we think. And Peter needs to choose."

"Choose?" she asked and leaned against the table with one hip, her arms crossed.

"Sides."

She waved her hands around. "Wait…he can choose to go back?"

Walter nodded as if it was obvious. "Of course. This isn't his universe. He could choose to return to the other side."

Olivia was stunned. For some unfathomable reason this option had simply not occurred to her. She had been so concerned about him leaving, running back to Baghdad or some other god-forsaken place that she never considered him going back to where he came. That would be so much worse. Here she could at least use her vast, government resources to keep tabs on him. But if he crossed over he would simply be…gone. Without a trace.

The thought made her take a step back from Walter as she looked at him in alarm.

"He can't go over there Walter. I've seen over there and…" she shook her head. "He has to stay here, I need him here."

"I agree. We just need to convince him."

The words hung thick in the air. Olivia was trying desperately to sort out how to keep him here when the subject of the conversation walked into the lab, bag of food held high.

"Ok Walter, I've got your eggs. Next time though, don't pick a place so far. We both know traffic in downtown Boston at 8 am is worse than hell." He placed the bag in front of Walter and shrugged out of his coat, eyeing the two of them. "Ok, what is going on, you both look a little too serious. We have a case?"

"No, no case." Olivia said hesitantly and looked at the older Bishop.

"Son…" Walter stood in front of Peter and grasped his upper arms. "I would do anything for you, you know that? That I love you." Peter nodded but glanced at Olivia.

Now Peter had an alarmed expression spread across his face. "Seriously, what is going on here?"

"Sometimes we make choices, Peter. Choices we aren't always proud of, but in the moment feel are right, necessary."

"Okay," the younger man drew out, bewildered.

"When you were sick, as a boy…"

"I've heard this story, Walter. What's the point?"

Walter didn't seem to hear him, locked into telling the story, the real one. "You were so sick. Your mother was beside herself, desperate. She begged me to help you but I…I couldn't help you."

Peter just stared at him, confusion clear in his eyes that were now an inexplicitly bright blue, in stark contrast to the usual blue-green. Olivia stood uncomfortably, waiting for the punch line.

"I got better, Walter, you didn't have to do anything…"

"You died, Peter." His tone was the same as when he had told Olivia all those months ago.

Peter cocked his head slightly at his father and the confusion changed to something resembling amusement. "Clearly not Walter; I'm standing here. Have you been making your medications in the lab again?"

He looked to Olivia, who appeared as though she could throw up at any second.

"Peter…" she started.

"Are you guys screwing with me? Is this about the exploding cantaloupe? I swear I didn't mean…"

"You glimmer, Peter." She was equally blunt about it, but her words were laced with regret and loss.

This time he was silent and she could see his mind processing the words and her tone and the fact that neither of them looked even remotely amused. The moment he put the pieces together she knew it, the expression on his face moved to horror, then anger.

"I…no. No way." He backed away from them initially but then gained his footing and approached Walter. He was so far beyond angry; this man who he had finally accepted back into his life had deceived him for three-quarters of it. It was almost too much to process. His mind was all over the place. Finally he was able to form words, and he somehow managed not to yell, but the anger was there, just under the surface. "Why?"

Walter looked visibly terrified. "I had lost you, Peter. And all I could think was that I had wasted all that time with you. When I made the window I saw that I was the same there that I was here…"

"So your solution was to kidnap me?"' His voice rose as he looked at Olivia. "I…you knew."

God, she wanted to lie so badly, but Olivia knew that would only make things worse. "Yes."

"I can't…" He waved his hands at them." I can't do this. I need to think." With that he picked up his coat and stalked out of the lab, anger radiating from his every pore.

"Peter!" Walter called after him.

Olivia stopped him. "I got it."

"You mustn't let him leave."

"I know Walter. Stay here."

She couldn't have been more than thirty seconds behind him, but by the time she got outside the Kresge building, he was gone.

The car was still in its usual parking spot, and Olivia was grateful, at least she knew he was still on campus somewhere. And suddenly she figured out where he was headed.

It only took a couple of minutes to find the bench outside where they had had many conversations. He was sitting there quietly, staring out into the nearly empty quad. Fall semester hadn't started yet at Harvard, so there was only the occasional student crossing through the area. For a moment she watched him before finally approaching and placing one hand on his back.

He didn't even move at the touch.

"Get away from me, Dunham." He was angry.

She removed her hand but didn't move away from him.

"I said get the hell away from me."

"I can't do that Peter."

Now he looked up at her, anger burning in his eyes, which, if it was even possible, were bluer than she had ever seen them. It always amazed her how the color of his eyes seemed to change depending on his mood, green when he was calm, blue as his temper flared. Olivia always knew that deep down Peter had a nasty temper. She had seen the surface of it a couple times, though it was never directed at her. Until now.

"Step back, Olivia." Each word was enunciated.

"Peter, I need you to listen to me."

He stood, hovering over her and Olivia knew he was trying to use his height advantage to intimidate her. It didn't work when suspects tried it, so there was certainly no chance it would work when her friend did. Though now she could literally see the tension that radiated through his body, as if he was using every ounce of self control he had to restrain himself. His fists were balled up and for one moment she thought she saw blood on his left hand.

"No, I don't think I need to listen to you."

"Peter…"

"Don't!" he yelled at her. "Just…don't, I think you have done enough. You know, I understand Walter lying, as _demented_ as that sounds. And I think I can understand the why, which honestly makes me think I need _my_ head examined. But you…you are the last person I would expect to betray me."

Olivia visibly recoiled but recovered. "I didn't betray you Peter."

"Really, how do you figure? I can do math. Five months ago we made a little trip to Florida; the Cortexiphan probably would have still been activated when we got back to New York." He moved closer to her, resentment tingeing his words, but now his voice was deadly low. "I'm willing to bet that I was lit up like a Christmas tree when we went out for drinks that night."

Her eyes darted away from his.

"I thought so. Was the kiss that night and everything since been you relieving your guilt for hiding Walter's secret?"

"God, no Peter!" She ran her fingers through her hair, which today she had left loose. "I didn't want to keep this from you, I swear to you."

His eyes softened, but his voice kept that hard edge to it. "Why should I believe you Liv?"

"After everything we have been through together Peter…" she reached up one hand and touched his face, running her fingers across the scruff of his beard. For a moment she thought she had gotten through to him, but suddenly he pulled back from her, the anger returning.

"No," he said as he shook his head. He didn't want her to get to him- he wanted to be angry. "No…"

She was losing him again. "Peter, please. I need you to listen to me."

"I thought we had something…" His voice was lost.

"We do." Olivia looked down, tears threatening. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you. I wanted to so many times, but losing you..."

"You didn't want to lose me? So instead you helped my father lie to me. Good choice." His voice dripped with sarcasm, his last defense.

Frustration seeped from her. He was being so damn hard headed. "Fuck you, Peter." Olivia could tell that startled him. "I know it's a shock to you, hell, I can't even begin to imagine what you must be going through. The confusion and questions, but do you know how hard it's been keeping this from you? Wondering if today was the day you would find out and leave me? Petrified that that day I would be left alone to fight this war. First John, then Charlie. I couldn't comprehend you not being by my side."

Peter watched the tears fall from her face and with each one he felt his anger fade. Keeping his distance, he brought one hand up and wiped the wetness from her cheek.

"Olivia…sit." With that he grabbed her hand and guided her to the bench, pulling her down with him, but keeping a respectable distance between them.

Silence settled over them as they both stared out into the quad, and Peter gathered his thoughts for several minutes before speaking. It was so much to process, so unbelievable and yet…not. "I want to hate you right now, you know that? I think I do hate Walter just a little bit actually."

"Peter…"

"No, let me finish." He still didn't look at her. "What Walter did was reprehensible, inexcusable, and frankly, vaguely nauseating. And yet, I am less shocked than I should be. Maybe that's because very little Walter does or is capable of doing surprises me anymore. I understand grief Olivia, when my mother died I would have done anything to bring her back, she was literally all I had. The difference is Walter was able to actually do something." He let out a loud sigh and ran his hands over his face. "I just don't know what to do with this right now, its not everyday you find out you don't belong where you are." He mused a moment, the differences with Walter about his childhood, his not remembering being sick, the urge to constantly move, never feeling settled. Until now that was. "Certainly explains a lot."

"Yeah."

Now he looked at her and smiled gently, his eyes had returned to the shade of blue-green she was used to seeing. "And you, I want to hate you, because then I could just walk away guilt free. But dammit, Dunham, I can't. I feel like I need to be near you…and it scares the hell out me how powerful that feeling is, it's the reason I'm not halfway to the airport."

She looked down and smiled. "According to your father, _you_ are why I can do what I do. You trigger my abilities all the while keeping me sane, grounded. He called you my constant. After that first kiss I'd have to agree."

"Could it get any weirder…" he said and leaned back on the bench, echoing her words from so long ago.

"You belong _here_, Peter. I think…if there is such a thing as fate or destiny, that's what it is. If I'm the one who has to stop all this, I need you with me." She paused. "There's something else."

"Of course there is."

"The observer told Walter you needed to choose sides in the war."

He looked at her confused. "Choose? You mean there or here?"

She nodded. "Yeah. You have to make a voluntary choice."

"I can go back…" he said wistfully.

Terror spiked through her and suddenly Peter turned a bright gold. He must have noticed her expression because he smiled and placed a hand over hers.

"Am I resembling a Christmas tree again?"

"Yeah," she admitted and calmed herself enough that the color he was emitting was significantly muted.

"I'm not going back. To what? This…side is all I know. Besides, I don't think I could leave you even if I wanted to, which, I don't. Man that scares the crap outta me, I'm not exactly known for my emotional connections to people." Another long pause. "Walter started this mess when he took me, didn't he?"

She shrugged. "I don't know for sure, but it's a possibility."

"I think it's more than just a possibility. Which means I'm the reason this is happening, which also means I need to stop it."

She stared into the quad and smiled tightly. "Thank you and I am sorry Peter, more than you know."

He returned the smile. "I believe you."

He reached up with one hand to touch her cheek, but she stopped him.

"Your hand…" she said and reached out, his knuckles were bloody almost beyond recognition.

Peter looked at his hand and let out another annoyed sigh.

"What happened?" she asked.

"I took my frustration out on an Oak tree. Perhaps not the best choice."

"You think?"

"Better than Walter."

"True." She stood, holding a hand out to him. "Let's get that cleaned up."

He took the offered hand and rose as well, as they walked they left their hands joined.

"After that can we get a drink? I need one…or five."

"What about Walter?" she asked.

Peter tilted his head and got a mischievous look. "I think I'll make him suffer a while, only seems fair."

"Drinks it is."

* * *

_I'm falling apart again_

_And I can't find a way to make amends_

_And I'm looking in both directions_

_But its make believe, it's all pretend_

_So, shed some light on me_

_And hold me up in disbelief_

_And shed some light on me_

_And tell me something that Ill believe in_

_It's in our suns, within the maze_

_But I have chosen the wrong way_

_I'm still getting over who I was_

_There's no sense of trust, there's no definition of love_

_So, shed some light on me_

_And hold me up in disbelief_

_And shed some light on me_

_And tell me something that Ill believe_

_And I know now, its not who you are, it's who you know_

_And I see clearly now which way to go_

_I remember the way I fell from above_

_And I recall the way I was_

_Shed Some Light, Shinedown_

Ok, I'll tell you this much…Chapter four involves drinks and a little Peter/Olivia Action. And will probably raise the rating to an M. Heh heh heh.


End file.
